


Caring For You Before, During, And After The War

by Lady_Katana4544 (orphan_account)



Category: Band of Brothers
Genre: Background Relationships, Canon-Typical Violence, Developing Relationship, Friends to Lovers, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-04
Updated: 2019-01-04
Packaged: 2019-08-27 09:35:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16699960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Lady_Katana4544





	Caring For You Before, During, And After The War

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PotofCoffee](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PotofCoffee/gifts).



Johnny Martin recalls the first time that he fell in love with Bull Randleman was back in basic training at Camp Toccoa. Not that he acknowledged it much then when everyone was trying to survive both basic training and Sobel.

It isn't something that he'll openly acknowledge until he's in a more secure place with the paratrooper corps rather than in basic training.

 

Bull Randleman is a farm boy from the rural areas of Rector, Arkansas. Had his fair of semi-romantic flings in the hay barns as he grew up at least in secret with ladies and the male farm hands that caught his eye.

None of his partners are the sort of people that he wants to spend his life with; at least until he meets Johnny Martin at Camp Toccoa, his feelings change then, albeit slowly as he befriends the man while they get through basic training and survive Sobel.

 

In those days, it's ridiculously easy for them to find a dark area of the training camp where no one is watching them and silently hold each other for comfort.

*

War and invasion, it turns out are nothing at all like their superiors taught them during their time in basic training. So much noise from weapons fire on either side and men who are frightened or injured or both are screaming for their mothers.

All of it makes Johnny's ears ring even as he prepares to find a cold hole to sleep in with Luz and another trooper. Midnight is nearing when he's preparing to get some rest before his night watch with Luz hears the snapping of unnameable bush branches broken somewhere close by. Was the person a friendly or had the Krauts found them already?

He whirls around to face the dark bushes near the hole with his rifle ready to fire its ammo.

“Flash."

“Thunder."

He relaxes slightly as Bull steps into their ring of dim light and bodies with Albert Blithe; inwardly he's overjoyed to see them both alive in this mess of an invasion landing.

"Good to see you, Bull. You too, Blithe."

Blithe nods nervously at him before swallowing and wanders away as Bull flashes a tender, soft smile at him that warms Johnny's heart at the sight of it.

"Good to see you too, Johnny. You guys been here very long?"

"Long enough. Fought a few Krauts before finding Luz and his silent companion before we decided to stop for the night," Johnny answers shrugging one shoulder as he looks at Bull. "What about you and... Blithe?"

"Landed in the wrong zone. Found Blithe by a downed, burning plane, fought a few Krauts here and there before we finally found you and your group. I'm glad to see that you made it though, Johnny," Bull responds quietly, glancing around them and watching as Luz pokes at their two quiet companions.

"Its good to see you too, Bull."

Heart feeling lighter and full of warmth, he settles down for the night in that hole as Bull mutters to himself and Luz eventually settles down as well. Maybe things would be easier somewhat now that he and Bull were watching each other's backs now.

*

"Here. You might like this, Johnny."

Johnny looks up from rifling through his pack and taking inventory of what supplies he has before their group moves on to try and find the rest of Easy Company. Bull is holding something towards him in the darkness before he cautiously takes it from his friend.

Using the lighter he found on a dead man's body, he notes that Bull had given him some dark chocolate that he had managed to find somewhere. Johnny glanced at Bull in surprise and grins.

"Thanks for this. Where did you find it?" Johnny asked. "Have you had any of it?"

"Yes, I've already had some, so you don't have to worry about it not being poisoned. I liberated it and a couple of other pieces from some Krauts who didn't need it. Tried to give some to Blithe, but he wouldn't take it from me," Bull answered. "May have to watch that one."

"We will, Bull. Let's make sure everyone makes it back to Easy Company," Johnny comments softly.

"Yeah."

*

Around Eindhoven, Bull disappears in the fighting, they've lost so many men that Johnny's chest tightens so much that he feels like he can barely breathe.

He watches as Winters fusses over Nixon before the other man manages to chase him off with a quiet request for food and something for his ringing headache. Johnny forces himself to ignore the sting of jealousy in his heart that he feels watching them have a quiet moment to themselves before going to find his group of men.

Then Bull reappears with some of the men who went against orders to stay in the camp and briefly AWOL to try and find them; Johnny feels something loosen in his chest at the sight of the grimy, dirt-stained man.

"Hey, Johnny," Bull says grinning freely at him and then hisses under his breath as Doc Roe gently tends to the wound on his shoulder. "Nice to see you again."

"Good to see you too, Bull," Johnny says, feeling his lips twitch upward in a grin.

Later on, he drags Bull away from prying eyes to a darkened area of their camp and quietly wraps his arms around the man. After a moment or two, Bull gently wraps his arms around Johnny and holds him close as he silently breathes in Bull's scent.

*

Winter around Bastogne is a frozen sort of hell that Bull hopes that they never have to deal with again; they lose men to both the cold grasp of winter, supplies to the Germans, and the Krauts trying to take them out every so often.

Part of him wonders how his family is doing back in the States. Are they healthy? Have enough food?

Then his thoughts wander to thinking about Johnny and his family; he knows that his friend has a girl, but they've been apart for so long that he wonders if they're still together or driven apart by distance and the War. 

In his heart, Bull knows that he dearly loves Johnny with his entire being, but he refuses to do anything that might damage his relationship with his lady.

He glances over to watch as Johnny gathers a few men together for a mission to get a live German prisoner or two from across the German line on the other side of the river. Quietly, he wishes that their stealthy sortie goes well and without incident.

Word comes down the line later that the mission is a success and that Johnny's boys managed to bring back two prisoners for Command to interrogate. But not without the regrettable loss of one of their people.

Shaking his head, Bull leaves his group in their quarters and goes looking for Johnny. He finds his friend with his ever-present rifle leaning against a battered, crumbling wall staring into the cold distance and settles down next to him.

Wordlessly, he pulls a wrapped chocolate bar out of his pocket and breaks off a piece to hand over to Johnny; without breaking his stare, Johnny takes the small offering with a low grunted word of thanks.

"War is hell," Johnny eventually says, pulling a cigarette out of one of his pockets.

"Yeah." Bull agrees softly. He pats Johnny's shoulder gently. "Let's get you inside though before a Kraut tries to get a lucky shot off at you."

Johnny sighs lightly before quietly following him back to the men. Before they enter the buildings that their men are situated in, Johnny glanced over at Bull; his gaze dark and unfathomable.

"My girl left me." 

There's so much unsaid that Johnny's not saying, but Bull can't help the warm hope that's risen in his heart, but he also hurts for his dear friend; maintaining a relationship with such distance lying between them is difficult.

"I'm sorry."

"Me too. Thank you for the company though, Bull."

"No problem."

*

Their first actual kiss happens a few days after the announcement of their victory over Germany. It's a drunken sloppy and messy sort of kiss; he's glad though to share it with his dearest friend.

Eventually, they make their way back to the States, find an apartment in dusty Arizona, and try to figure themselves out without giving away that they are more than just friends living together.

 

Later:

"Do you make him happy?"

The question startles Johnny out of wandering thoughts as he looks over to meet the calm, amused gaze of Bull's mother.

"Yes, I am kind to him. I did my best to be kind to the men that we led into battle too," He answers feeling his cheeks warm slightly.

"I am very pleased to hear that, Johnny," she answers with a soothing grin at him. "His siblings will want to interrogate you no doubt when they finally meet you."

"No doubt. I don't see how your kids are any worse than anything the Germans threw at us during the War," Johnny stated shrugging one shoulder slowly.

"Only you would say that without having met my siblings first, Johnny."

They both turn to see a softly smiling Bull standing the living room doorway, watching them as Bull's mother chuckles softly and moves to hug him as Johnny watches.


End file.
